Profile for LottaNonsense
This user has not yet written a description
Latest comments from LottaNonsense (see all)
LottaNonsense has commented 18 times (0 in the last month).
Advertise
-
Books
-
The lost art of reading (or drowning in too much information)…
Here’s a great review of a fascinating book (H/T reader Rory) on how the Internet is destroying our capacity for intelligent, focused and critical thought. It opens thus: …here is the news that Ulin brings in this slim, meandering book: that reading is “an act of contemplation”; that such an act becomes more difficult in [...] read our review »
-
Children of the Revolution (Bill Rolston)
What was life like for children of political activists during the Troubles? A new book by Bill Rolston and published by Guildhall Press during the summer has collected together the stories of twenty Children of the Revolution whose parents’ activities – and in many cases, imprisonment – had a significant affect on childhoods and life [...] read our review »
-
Douglas Murray – Bloody Sunday: Truth, Lies and the Saville Inquiry, Book Review
The aftermath of the Saville Inquiry into the events around Bloody Sunday has left me, and I suspect many others, with one enduring image: Prime Minister David Cameron’s apology in the House of Commons, where he says that the actions of the British Army were ‘unjustified and unjustifiable.’ But there’s a lot more to the [...] read our review »
-
Comment on The Coalition scenario is emerging
on 18 April 2010 at 4:37 pm
Labour are not proposing PR – They are proposing the Alternative Vote (AV) system, which is not PR, although as far as the electorate is concerned it operates the same as our STV PR system.
Interestingly, in Northern Ireland, the one party that would benefit from the AV system would be UCUNF – If AV was being used at this next election they would probably be walking into at least six seats.
Go to comment
Comment on United Unionist Force?
on 11 April 2010 at 8:15 pm
Andrew
If you refer to yesterday’s Newsletter you will see that the South Belfast Chairman – Bill White, is quoted as saying ‘Let me assure you that the South Belfast Officers have been working tirelessly over recent months (indeed months & years!) to ascertain if such an arrangement (i.e. an agreed candidate with the DUP) would be possible in South Belfast. Discussions have taken place with the UUP Leader, and other senior party officials on several occasions, plus direct & indirect communication has taken place with senior DUP representatives.
Therefore Andrew, I can’t see how you can say that the UUP do not want to make any agreement about South Belfast, when it seems that it’s the South Belfast UUP that are the people who are trying very hard to get some sort of arrangement with the DUP.
Go to comment
Comment on McFarland leaves UUP
on 1 April 2010 at 2:51 am
Intelligence Insider
Whether a candidate or a political party has held a particular seat for many years is irrelevant. Democracy is about gaining a mandate, and then having that mandate renewed every 3-5 years according to the particular democratic system.
Once this next general election is called then all candidates are equal before the electorate, and this includes the sitting MP if that person is seeking re-election. That’s the essence of democracy.
The Conservatives are targeting many seats in the North of England at this coming election, which have been Labour for decades – Are you saying that the Conservatives are not entitled to do this?, and that those seats ‘belong to’ Labour.
The DUP are perfectly entitled to run candidates in whatever seats they wish.
Seats don’t belong to a particular political party – They belong to the electorate in that constituency.
Go to comment
Comment on On the gap between politicians and people
on 8 March 2010 at 4:48 pm
Polls run by the NI office are heavily biased and, Yes, use ‘loaded questions’ that are aimed to get the result that Shaun Woodward & his friends want to get.
As such, in professional polling terms these NI Office polls are rubbish.
Go to comment
Comment on Hopeless, Ulster Unionists
on 7 March 2010 at 7:24 pm
iLuvni & Gragoir O’Fraincin
Gragoir: I agree with your point – I went to every N. Ireland home game for years & years, but got fed-up with the dump that’s Windsor Park – & I’m a Unionist & a Prod!!
This is why the crowds that follow N. Ireland have fallen & are still falling – I believe there are literally 1000′s of people like me who have fallen away from supporting N. Ireland because of the lack of vision of the IFA.
Nowadays people expect to be watching international football in a modern stadium like, as you suggest, the new Lansdowne Road, & young ambitious players expect to be playing in new modern stadiums as well.
Why should young ambitious players hook themselves to a team that plays in such a dump as Windsor Park with a maximum crowd of 15,000.
Well done the FAI with Lansdowne Road – I got a look around it a few weeks ago – Fantastic!
Go to comment
Comment on Hearts and Minds: Educational philosophy death match…
on 5 March 2010 at 6:30 am
Andrew Gallagher – Spot on, totally agree!!
Go to comment
Comment on Hearts and Minds: Educational philosophy death match…
on 5 March 2010 at 6:23 am
Lionel
I’ve just noticed your second answer above, and I think we’re in agreement. However, you seem to contradict yourself – You seem to support a 3-4 stage evaluation system including a key stage selection/choice time at age 14: I agree.
I’m against this one size fits all, one stage, one time selection at 11.
However, you then go on to say you’d rather have what we have now i.e. this one-time selection at 11???
Go to comment
Comment on Hearts and Minds: Educational philosophy death match…
on 5 March 2010 at 6:17 am
Lionel
Yes – I am being serious.
Private education in the UK represents less than 0.6% of the total UK education sector – Are you saying that all these private school boys/girls now run the country?
In terms of GB:
What about the engineers in Rolls-Royce? – Are they all private school educated?
What about all the accountants in the 10′s of thousands of small/medium business in GB? – Are they all private school educated?
What about all the Teachers – Are they all private school educated?
What about all the Doctors, Dentists, Lawyers? – Are they all private school educated?
What about all the Research scientists? – Are they all private school educated?
Etc…
Etc…
Again I say, no-one can answer the question: Little auld Norn Ireland is the only country among any developed country our region that seems to want this 11+ selection – so we’re right & everyone else is wrong – is that what we’re saying??
Go to comment
Comment on Hearts and Minds: Educational philosophy death match…
on 5 March 2010 at 5:00 am
I see that no-one can answer my question above i.e. if 11+ selection is so good then why is it that no other modern equivalent country (or even a region within a country i.e. GB) has 11+ selection. I ask again – are we right here in N. Ireland, and everyone else is wrong??
Go to comment
Comment on Hearts and Minds: Educational philosophy death match…
on 5 March 2010 at 2:39 am
Harry J
I accept your point, but that wasn’t the point I was making.
I was saying that if the comprehensive system is so bad, how come GB can have an economy that can afford to put £10Billion into N. Ireland and OK, Yes, also similar amounts into other areas of the UK??
After all, logically, the GB economy is now being run by people who went through the comprehensive system in the 70′s, 80′s & 90′s!
Go to comment